Angelina Jolie and all that Jazz

Since the last time I updated this lovely blog, I have done the following:

*Knitted a Duck. Only recently I learnt how to knit from my friend Beck.
Relaxing hobby my arse-at first I could barely hold the needles and spent most of my time trying to act reserved when I previously screaming at balls of yarn. There was some knack to it that I couldn't understand-I would watch Beck knit and couldn't figure out how she could do it so fast or stay relaxed as she did so while I ended up with a bit of wool not unlike a slug with holes in.
I stuck at it as I like talking to Beck-previously I didn't see her very often-and it was something that I really wanted to do. Learning to knit is one of those skills that I knew could come in useful one day, plus I have always had a secret admiration for people who can make stuff with their hands. In truth, I wanted to be one of those people. There is also the fact that I am a constant fidgeter-I always need to be at least planning to do something-and the idea of just doing continual motions and creating something out of nothing sort of rocks in its own way.
One day, I believe after I had studied Abraham Lincoln or at least something to do with America, the knitting clicked and I found myself making stuff that I felt proud of. Okay, so the phone covers I have made so far do not look exactly like any convential phone covers (and I am developing hard skin by my nails because of the continual poking of the steel needles) but finally finishing the stuff I have been making this term was my biggest accomplishments. I am stupidly proud of my duck in much the same manner that people would design really ornate cover sheets for science projects during my GCSEs.
Apart from the said exams I nearly burnt myself out getting through.
Thus I might turn this blog into a sort of knitting blog, so I can at least put pictures up of what I have made so far.

*Become Green. Maybe its the constant advertising by evil conglominates (I don't care about the spelling right now as I'm knackered) or the fact that I have been more smoothies to stave of the ever present threat of Student related scurvy, but I have suddenly become interested in Environmentalism. This is not to say that I have led a life up to this moment in pure bliss and ignorance about the effect of rubbish, but it is a reaction to what I see as the implausibility of some of the stuff we are expected to do. I'm going to see if I can make some changes to my habits and maybe write about them on here, but only if they become interesting. I'm not going to write about a neurose for recycling if it doesn't involve a wacky adventure of somekind.

*Laughed at Celebrities. Hence the mention of Angelina Jolie.

*Seriously considered wearing a skirt in this humid heat.

*Watched Pirates of the Carribbean 3. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but then I had been to the pub. I got annoyed by the singing kid at the beginning wearing braces and it was near incomprehensible, but I would pay Johnny Depp to run like Jack Sparrow in all of his movies.

*Finished exams. It feels strange to have a to-do list that begins with 'get out of bed before noon' instead of a list of work to be getting on with. I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Y'see, I can do less ranty.

Annoyed

I'm trying to work what has pissed me off more today. It is either the fact that the milk that I brought from a shop today had gone off so badly it had gone fizzy that I have no chance of being able to bring back as they will deny I brought it there without a receipt (because it's milk!), or people who don't say 'please' or 'thank you'. Thinking about it, the second one has pissed me off slightly more, as I think it is common courtesy to actually recognise that someone has done you a favour. I only spent 69p on the milk, and I could probably turn it into some kind of lovely metaphor for what I think about that certain institution if I felt like it. Then again, it is 69p that I could have spent on... oh, how about fresh milk!
I think this week is going slower because of the exams and the grey skies in May. Oh well, it feels like I have extra time to revise and knit.

Ideological preference.

Okay, so I have a blog. I look around at other blogs, and try to wonder how they have so much to say about the world, when all I do is eat, read and sleep in that particular order. I'm guessing that because I am a number of people who start this kinda thing and then wonder why, after a couple of months, I bothered. And so I am now going to use this underrated social platform (for me that is) to describe stuff I actually care about.

So, in no particular order.

1. The other day I saw a 50 second clip of the new Michael Moore movie on American health care on You-Tube. I have to admit, I find it bizarre that a country like the USA does not have a system designed to provide some kind of standardised health care for all.

Now, I am fully prepared to hold up my hands and state that I have not seen the film and feel like ranting at Michael Moore because he annoys me. I thought that Bowling for Columbine was very interesting, but the failing of Fahrenheit 911 was that it had no basis on facts. The fact was, everything in it was based on an idea you could write on the back of a napkin. If you weren't willing to buy into his ideas, then you ended up like me; feeling that it was a shallow idea that only gained any form of logic because of the wars that followed it.

The problem I had with this 50 second clip of the new movie was his insistence that hospital treatment for the Brits is free. This is not true due to tax, Mr Moore. I also admire the way you seemed to pick a particularly quiet hospital in the clip. Again, maybe I should watch the entire thing, but considering his insistence that everything in hospitals is 'free'-I can't help but wonder if he will give the subject any kind of bias.

2. I saw 'Look Around You' the other day (the first series before they tried that ill-advised version of Tomorrow's World), and think the British comedy scene is doing really well at the moment. I'm hoping to watch more Peep Show and Mock the Week soon, as the humour is very unpredictable. That's what I love-jokes where you can't see a punchline coming.

3. I played my first game of chess where I can claim at least 45%of a victory in chess. I played two games this evening-the first one wasn't terribly exciting, but the second was interesting as it was described to me as we played. The problem I have with chess is that I do not see the 'paths' of the chess pieces on the board. I just see areas where pieces should go as it gives them a bit of 'space', instead of thinking of ways of attacking and defending the pieces with the most points. I sincerely doubt I will ever win a game under my own steam just yet, but the way I see it Chess is a discipline. You have to learn how to concentrate and look at the board while planning ahead, which isn't something you have to do with knitting.

Ah, knitting. I never thought I would ever say I like it as much I do. At first, it was a struggle to even hold the needles, but once I got it and saw how quickly I could knit I was hooked (haha!). I think it is because it is relaxing for me to do something repetitive without concentrating too hard, but also because it is surprisingly sociable. Chatting and knitting is rather like riding a bike (but admittedly I do not get a lot done if I am talking)I'm tempted to turn this into a knitting blog in a way, so I can tell people what I have made. I finished a phone holder today, and I have to admit that it has turned out a lot better than I expected it to be.

4. I have nothing against ID cards. I can honestly say that as I believe that my government isn't that interested in the everyday life of everyone, and if it means I can go out somewhere without having to prove my ID-say, when I go into a bar-then I don't have problem with it. Also, you have to remember that the system won't work yet does have its practical advantages. I don't believe the bull crap about them preventing crime ('Hey, you! Biometrically scan your eyeballs before you rob this bank!'), but say if you wanted to travel abroad. You already use your driving licence to prove your identity, how about having a system where your ID card was used instead of your passport? Passports are nice and official looking, but wouldn't it just be nice to swipe your card to enter a country?
While I state this, I know there might be a reader or summat who will scream at me for naively trusting the Government, and I don't. I just refuse to wipe of the idea just because of the potential of an Orwellian state we should refusing the idea. To set up an Orwellian state, you have to assume that your Government doesn't trust anyone and that people can't think for themselves. Just because you might get an extra card in your wallet (or maybe even something onto your driving licence as I suggested) doesn't mean the government is out to get you. In the 'Orwellian' argument, people seem to think that the card means that people won't use your common sense, and you will have to show it everywhere you go. They also assume that the government will bother to do millions of background checks, which I refuse to believe.
'But what about the GDR?' someone says. The GDR was a closed Communist State of about 18 million people (according to something I read earlier on boingboing.net). No-one can ever be sure because of the amount of paperwork destroyed, but they reckon that they had at least 1 in 7 people informing to the government. Firstly, as much as everyone is scared of the world we are not in that society by any way shape or form so don't compare it to it. We have CCTV, but does anyone remember the original reason why they came in?

There is always a danger of looking back through history to some mythical age where we had more freedom. However, in our past we were also more likely to die of horrible illnesses and force children to work for food. We are not losing our freedoms and should be thankful for it.
I can write this, therefore I am free. Ipso facto.

5. Call me cynical, maybe I am. I just like to think of ideas instead of hearing about a perceived threat and thinking it signals the end. In spite of everything, I am a cynical optimist, I believe everything should go right eventually. I'm not cynical about everything-I'm not cynical about Global Warming (though my 'cute animals' theory of environmentalism wonders what animal will be concentrated on next) and believe in recycling to state just two things. I just believe that you should be able to figure things out for yourself.

So, now I'm going to bed. Maybe one day I will write about funnier things, and feel less ranty. Goodnight.

Jumping through hoops

I realise I said I would update this when I got back, and I never did. I will someday though. One day I will go into massive detail about what I have been up to.
I'd sum it up better, but I'm suprisingly tired and my brain cannot think in more than short sentences or descriptive catchphrases. Saying that though, I think I can sum up the Americans, by saying that for politeness and sheer cheeryness, Americans are great.
Leaving Jesse was very hard, but that isn't to say I had a great holiday. Everytime I think about it, a big grin develops all over my face. However, I got back to the UK having no sleep on the plane, and then remained jetlagged until at least the wednesday, before going back to University on the Friday. It was a bit of a rush I guess, but I shall head home after my exams to make up for it.
In some ways I am lucky this term-only 4 exams to deal with, and then at least 3 weeks of pure relaxation before the summer, but even then I'm stressed out by them. I think, once again, it is because of the unknown nature of them-I hate the feeling of jumping through hoops to maintain a grade. The idea that 2 essays and an exam prove your entire year is an un-nerving thought. Either way, it could be worse.

Washington DC.

Hello!
The ankle is better. Well, now it is starting to twinge, but I am no longer using painkillers or a strap over the ankle to stop it from moving. I think it is only starting to hurt as I went walking in some woods yesterday, and then sat there watching baseball for a couple of hours. Either way, I sincerely doubt it is broken anymore, but it does now mean that I have sprained each ankle now.

I thought today I would update what I have been doing since I last typed here, and it has occured to me that this might be the last time I fill out this blog in the USA. I fly back Sunday evening, and land Monday morning. Because I will be spending a lot of time with Jesse and his family before I go, I doubt I will write anymore while I am here. Instead I plan to sum up my experiences once I get home, and keep on using this blog regularly. However, because Jesse and I do not plan to go out anywhere until this afternoon I thought I might as well fill in my thoughts about Washington. This is going to be a bit shorter than the New York post, simply as I only spent about three days in Washington, compared to almost a week in New Jersey.

Getting there
The journey there was not as knackering than the epic trip from North Carolina to New Jersey, and it only took us a couple of hours. However, the roads of New Jersey seem only to be designed to confuse and intimidate. Thankfully, getting into Washington DC was simple enough as all the roads are labelled.

The B&B
I could not recommend the place we stayed well enough. It was a 3 floored B&B townhouse, with extensive views over grassland and on a quiet street. It felt like we were staying in a Hotel, and was extensively restored throughout. They also kept the rooms immacualte, which was quite something since we left our room in a bit of state a few times (our luggage kept on exploding out of our bags). They also did Waffles for breakfast. Truly this place was a find, and if anyone is interested in going here I will pass on the details to you.

Getting to the City Centre
Another good thing about our B&B was the proximity of it to the City Centre. We could see the State Capitol building from where we got the bus each day. However, the sad thing was the poor area we would travel through on the way to the City Centre. I felt it was such a shame to have such a poor community right in eyeshot of the Government buildings, as you would think that such urban deprivation so close to there would be given loads of government funding. This unfortunately wasn't the case. This area was much like what our Guidebook described, as Washington DC does have a serious problem with urban deprivation and gun crime. It would be very easy of me to take some kind of moral high ground and exclaim that such poor areas would not exist like that in Britain, but they do. Call me optimistic, but it would be great if areas such as this were given the investment they desperately need in cases like this, as then it would not not influence a Tourists perception of the city.

Tourism
I realise that what I just typed gives the impression that I didn't enjoy Washington DC, and another complaint follows...
May just be me here, but I got the impression that Washington DC only tolerates Tourists as they bring in money. Don't get me wrong, there were lots about all doing the kinds of things that us Tourists do, but I got the feeling around landmarks such as the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument that they didn't really want you there. We couldn't get into any of those areas, as they relied on a ticketing system or planning up to six months in advance for a security pass. You were not allowed to sit on the Capitol steps or anything like that, as they had barriers everywhere and lots of Guards about.
There were also the numerous security checks you got every time you entered a building, and so half of Washington DC security guys saw what I was buying and the sweets I was carrying in my handbag. It got quite annoying after a day of hearing the question: "Can you show me your bag, Ma'am?". I understand why they would need to do this, but it didn't feel friendly to me.

Right, so my rants are over. Here is the good things about Washington DC, and what I recommend seeing.

The Sights

• Washington is essentially a planned city. Nothing in it is left to chance, and so all buildings are ordered and easy to find. Most of the Tourist sights are stretched out along the Mall-a three mile long stretch of grass. This does mean that everything can be a bit of walk. I'm guessing from the stuff I read in the White House Tourist Office that the distances between buildings is ideological (a literal representation of keeping all the houses of government seperate son they don't influence each other) and also because up to the early 20th Century people rode horses everywhere in Washington DC. Therefore, while everything is a bit of a walk, it is only a short gallop away. Saying that, there are lots of Tourist buses to take you about.
  
• The Statues are worth seeing. I loved the Lincoln, Jefferson and FDR Memorial. The Lincoln memorial is particularly memorable, as it is set out right at the end of the mall. It is also very imposing, and you can see why most of the big protests that have occured in America over the past 70 years or so stop here. It also has a darn fine bookshop that I have bought a biography of Lincoln in, plus a very informative exhibition. I liked the exhibition as it contained many of Lincoln's quotes and gave the historic context of them. The Jefferson Memorial is built in a similar style to Lincoln's (all classical sculpture looking), but the FDR memorial is totally different, and exists as a walk through memorial of FDR's life and most famous quotes (I previously had no idea that he was responsible for the 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself' statement).
  
• This time of year is siginificant in Washington DC, as it is the Cherry Blossom Festival. This celebrates the blossoming of around 94 (?) trees that were given to Washington DC by the Japanese Government in 1912. They are well worth sitting under and walking through, as they look beautiful.
  
• The Smithsonian is the kind of Museum I wish existed everywhere. You could easily spend a week looking at everything and not visit the city entirely. Split up into 5 or 6 buildings (though admittedly only 4 buildings were open for us), it houses some of the most influential exhibits on the planet. During our visit, we only visited the Air and Space Museum, and it is well worth the queues and the sheer number of people to look about in. I really recommend the 'Space race' exhibit there, though bring your own packed lunch. Getting fast food took an eternity.
  

Food
Washington DC is not known for its food like New York, but I can recommend a few places. 'My Brother's place' is a good place to eat, though you have to be over 21. Union Station has the most amazing amount of food, and my stomach recommends that.

For now, that is all I can recommend for Washington DC. I admit, I liked New york a little better, but if you want a quiet ed-du-ma-cated break then it is well worth it. I particularly recommend it if you are a Pub-Quiz fact fan/Historian like me.

The Bobbin the Brit guide to the where, what and 'Eh'? of New York City.

Hello!
Once again I live up to my reputation of being the one who develops stupid injuries. From the girl who brought you 'the cut on the thumb from a craft knife when making a Viking Village out of Bolser Wood when she was 7' and 'the sprained ankle from falling over a slide during Fresher's Week' is now 'the incident from falling up the stairs'.
Currently I am having to rest my right foot after I sprained it going up the stairs of the National Art Gallery of Washington DC. Two days ago it was really quite painful, and even yesterday I couldn't put very weight on it without hobbling like a peg legged pirate. I was even told yesterday I should get it checked out at a Doctors as it could be a hair-line fracture. Thankfully now I can walk on it again and the bruising seems to be from a sprain. If it starts getting bad again tomorrow, then I'll see a doctor but otherwise I'm not as worried now about it. At least it happened before we drove back from Washington DC, and not when we arrived in New York.
So, because I am going to watch a few movies with Jesse in a bit, I am going to give my review of New York.
... and type this while eating lunch.
My account of Washington DC shall follow probably tomorrow or in a few days.
I was planning to write this in as an account of what we did and when, but then I couldn't remember the order. Therefore, what I am writing is just my opinion and recommendations based on what we experienced. If you don't agree with anything I am saying, then feel free to rant and let me know why-though please be constructive in your criticism.

So, here goes.

Getting there
It took us over 12 hours to get to New Jersey. We drove longer than the length of the UK, with only a few stops for food and restrooms. We also went through North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and most of New Jersey before we arrived. This is not a journey to try if you do not like the person you are travelling with (which wasn't my experience with Jesse but we were knackered by the time we arrived), and while Virginia (in particular) is absolutely stunning, you will feel by the end that you have gotten to know every bit of the States personally.
I swear New Jersey Interstates are solely designed to infuriate you when you get lost.
To get to New York itself, we stayed outside the city and travelled in for the first few days by train, which involved changing at Newark Penn Station to get to New York Penn Station. It's really cheap compared to the UK- about ten pounds return and the journey took us over a hour each way.

Subways
We only used it a few times. I recommend getting a Metrocard, which is essentially a London Underground Oyster card. It takes a while to get used to the numbers that they use to name the lines, but it feels less claustrophobic than the London Underground. Get yourself a map if you want to get anywhere.

The Hostel
To be honest, I would have loved our hostel and would have recommended it to anyone if it was much closer to Manhattan and was in a better area. We were close to a Subway station (113th Street), but we were in an area referred to (by a Taxi driver we used) as 'Spanish Harlem'. It took ages to walk anywhere. While this area was around ten minutes west of Colombia University, the area wasn't all that nice. There were gangs of people hanging about near our Hostel and we weren't always sure what they were doing. Saying that though, they never approached us.
Now the Good Part: The Hostel was well worth its price. It was cheap, warm, comfortable, friendly and provided the best breakfast I have ever had at a Hostel. Considering I have stayed at a Hostel that once beleived that people solely survived on topast and watered down coffee, that is high praise.

Food
If you are willing to walk around for hours-especially at the end of the day-then you will find some great places to eat. Here is what I recommend:

• You must eat Pizza. Not because it is essential, but because it tastes so good! I never like Pizza usually, but no-one can resist big slices of gooey Pizzas with lots of cheese. Most pieces I ate were bigger than my head. If you want Pizza, then I recommend the restaurant chain 'Sbarro' or the authentic 'Ray's Pizza' we ate near the Natural History Museum.
  
• Delis are good for supplies of drinks. One we ate provided hot and cold food, but it wasn't that good as the food, by the time we got there, was stale from sitting out all day.
• You really don't get enough Mexican food in the UK. We ate at a really cheap chain place called 'Chipotle' one evening that tasted superb. I am addicted to Tacos and Guacomole.
• If you can finish a large McDonalds meal, then you have a stronger stomach than me. I managed, but only just.
• Fruit Juices are cheap, and you get far more smoothie for your buck.

Places I recommend to go
This is just a quick summary of my favourite places.

• If you want to see the Skyline, then go to the Rockerfeller Centre off 5th Avenue. We were originally going to go up the Empire State, but the queue was stupidly long and we were told it was a bit crap. If you go to the Rockfellers 'Top of the Rock', it is a reasonable price (we got a discount through our Hostel) and you get to walk about up there, taking lots of pictures of different angles. It is 67 floors up. We went up during the evening, and seeing the sunlight bounce off each building was beautful. I would wrap up warm though.
  
• New York itself is great fun to walk around. Most of what we found to see and eat was done through looking upwards and aiming towards buildings. New York is shockingly loud and busy the first moments you arrive, but once you have found your barings it is a lot of fun. That is how we found Trump Towers, The Chrysler Building and Grand Central Station.
• Central Park is great if you just want to relax and see a landscape that is not dominated by buildings. The green areas tend to be fenced off at this time of year, but there are lots of benches and vendors. Central Park Zoo is interesting, albeit a bit small. It's worth seeing the Sealions being fed at 4pm, and the Penguins are too cute.
• I didn't actually shop that much, except at Times Square. There are lots of tourist shops, but clothes are a lot cheaper than the UK (especially for sport tops and at Gap). Times Square is more of an experience than a place, and you can easily pass a few hours there without realising it. It is so busy and loud, it reminded me vaguely of the cityscape in Bladerunner-but without the scaqry robots or Harrison Ford. I also recommend FAO Schwarz and the Apple Store. The Village and Soho are just very artsy and expensive, but worth seeing for the Buildings.
  
• I loved the dinosaur exhibit at the Natural History Museum and the Metropolitian Art Museum was interesting as well. As I found to my curiousity, alarms go off if you touch a sculture, so be more careful than I did (no worries, I didn't knock it over).
  
• There are celebrities thast you can spot. However, I dunno if seeing Tarentinos feet and 'the tall guy off Everybody Loves Raymond' counts as a celeb spot.

I think that is everything I have to say about NY, though I will update it if anything occurs to me. However, while it seems like I saw everyhting, Jesse and I got nowhere near close to that. I just wish I had seen the Statue of Liberty up close, but I honestly don't think my trip to New York and New Jersey could have been improved upon.

Counting down!

Hello everybody-I'm taking a break from packing-I'm off to Washington DC tomorrow!
I would like to aplogise for not updating this as much as I would like, but I have been really busy with being a archetypal tourist. Therefore, I plan to do a few massive blog entries on where I recommend to go in New York, and Washington DC and anywhere else I recommend.
I have been updating people via my email as I do not have a lot of time on the computer at the moment-if you aren't one of these people, its because I cannot access all of my email addresses. Just to let you guys know that I will write more-honest! I have piles of stuff to say, as usual.
Only a minute left, so see you guys soon!
Byebye!